GRAMMY® nominated DJ and producer Armin
van Buuren’s “Heading Up High” featuring Kensington, the new
single from Van Buuren’s full-length studio album, Embrace
(Armada Music) is out now, accompanied by a music video that
is premiered worldwide on MTV for an exclusive 24-hour window.
“Heading Up High” is yet the most infectious cut from Embrace
and it set the Netherlands on fire when it shot straight to A-rotation
at Dutch FM. For “Heading Up High,” Van Buuren chose to work with the
popular Dutch rock band Kensington in yet another example of Embrace’s musical openness with instrumentation and styles. Kensington’s latest studio album, Rivals
(Universal), peaked at the #1 chart position in the Netherlands. The
band consists of members: Eloi Youssef (vocals, guitar), Casper
Starreveld (guitar, vocals), Jan Haker (bass) and Niles Vandenberg
(drums). There is a magical space where electronic dance music meets
monster rock ‘n roll and Van Buuren and Kensington were able to find
that phenomenal place.
Making a cameo in the “Heading Up High’ music video is another Dutch Titan, Hardwell. In short, the music video depicts a crowd of inmates trying to escape a dome-shaped prison by
heading up high through the roof. Among this group of prisoners is
Hardwell, trying to soar to freedom alongside his fellow convicts.
According to Armin, “I wanted to create a song that
was just totally unexpected and I’d been drawn to the sound of
Kensington for some time. We really vibed well together and I think my
long-time dance music fans may be surprised by some elements of this
song. It just really soars and I get a great reaction whenever I play it
out! It’s got the feel of worlds coming together.”
“Heading Up High” is vibrant and dynamic with all the rock ‘n roll
charisma that Kensington brings. It’s got a power-ballad pull that grabs
the listener while delivering inspirational lyrics.
